A Quarter of Employees Say They Don't Know Their CEO's Name

Do you know what your CEO looks like? In fact, do you even know his or her name? According to a recent study, nearly a quarter of employees working at mid- and large-sized companies don’t even know their CEO’s name.

Polling more than 1,000 employees in the U.S. who work at companies with 500-plus employees, a survey conducted by APPrise Mobile uncovered surprising findings about communication between business executives and their employees.

Of those surveyed, 23 percent said they were unsure of their CEO’s name. In fact, many didn’t even know what their CEO looks like. Younger employees were less likely to know the name of their company’s CEO -- 34 percent of employees between 18 and 24 said they weren't familiar with the executive, while 22 percent of those over 25 years old said they weren't.

It’s not only about their leader's name, it extends to recognition too. One-third of surveyed employees said they were unsure if they could identify their CEO in a lineup. Again, younger employees were more unlikely to recognize the face of their company’s chief executive, with only 54 percent saying they’d pass the lineup test. Sixty-nine percent of older workers were confident that they’d be able to identify their senior.

However, maybe it’s because a majority of surveyed employees (71 percent) don’t even work in the same office as their CEO. And to manage remote teams, most CEOs choose to use email, rather than travel and meet their employees face to face. Over two-thirds of respondents said that email is the primary form of communication used by executives at their company. Although, some employees (16 percent) never hear from their CEO.

Many leaders don’t realize the impact direct communication with employees can have on their business. Increased communication leads to more engaged employees, which ultimately results in additional value being brought to the business.

“Business leaders who prioritize communications, employee engagement and personally seek to establish a relationship with their workers," said APPrise Mobile CEO Jeff Corbin, "will reap the benefits and see important gains across the business, not just operationally but also financially.”

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